10 things I love about Pulse

[zargz]

Yet less realism as well. I like the way the wall keeps you racing when drifting off course, but then falling off the track has always been so WipEout... Plus, I can't shake the feeling that SOMEtimes taking a shortcut over the wall at the apex of a turn makes you go faster. If that was true, I wouldn't be a fan of the fact. Maybe hitting the force wall (forgot what the manual calls it) should slow you down just a bit more in future incarnations.

Ben

disagree about the realism. since there is on FIA comitte or NASCAR officials to penalise a possible ofender of the rules this is a good solution. besides there's a good reason for them - to protect the crowds and the surrounding buildings and nature from the powerful weapons. also a forcefield is more belivable to me than a magic teleportation to the spot where you got of the track

as for the falling off the tracks you still got it where it 'belongs' bridges at tech de ra and arc prime
actually I really like the hardcore approach of the old 8 or 16 bit, don't remember, f-zero games. get of track - Boom!
Big explotion. next race or Game Over.

cutting the appex .. well I'm not that skilled yet to even try such a thing and as you know I do my best to stick2trax

[Dogg Thang]

What I love about the force wall thing is that it is such an easy solution to an old WO dev problem - how do we stop ships flying off track without walling everything in? Invisibles walls are a no-no in most games these days as they feel contrived and really make you aware you're in a game world but it makes sense for WO to have safety features and energy walls were established in WO3. So all that was needed was a one-line addition to the manual. Problem solved!

[G'Kyl]

cutting the appex .. well I'm not that skilled yet to even try such a thing and as you know I do my best to stick2trax

Same here! BUT: Is "running up on" the wall really leaving the track? The track, mind you, ends at the new force wall, and honestly, in Pulse I'll submit any record lap or race that include an accidental or deliberate landing on a wall.

[zargz]

oh I see. I thought you ment some how fly trough the walls a little bit!

[miufs]

Well i love everything in Pulse. Im still amazed by it...

But here´s one more thing that no one talked about yet:

I love the box-art! One of the prettiest covers i ever saw in a game. That scheme colors is just perfect.

Pitty Feisar is not on the cover. It would make a perfect pair with Qirex, just like in 2097...

How is the cover in the US? Havent seen it yet... :s

[Lance]

The 'force-field' spectator protection wall is a great parallel for the present-day spectator protection fences and Armco barriers in auto-racing. And it can be used to eliminate spawning, wuss wagons, and any other such annoyances. The wuss-wagons of the older games always really annoyed me and it was hard to see how they could possibly even work, considering the nature of physics, of acceleration. The force-field wall at least would feel more realistic and believable than respawns or wusswagons.

[FutureKubik]

Hi Guys! This is my first post! I'd just like to say how awesome it is that people involved with the game's development post here. It has been a very interesting read!

Things I love about the latest game (not in any specific order):

1. The ability to use your own MP3 files for in-game music. This has allowed me to import and play the game to lots of tracks from various electronic artists whose work I always felt should be a WO game. Very cool.

2. The black/white runs for the tracks. In past games, on tracks where possible, I would deliberately play them backwards to get a better feel for their layout, as well as take in little scenery niceties that I may have missed during a lap in the normal direction. Having this incorporated into Pulse is a masterstroke, particularly on tracks that incorporate differing routes such as Amphiseum and De Konstruct. It could have easily been a cynical attempt to increase the number of tracks printed on the back of the case.

3. Reduced barrel roll opportunities. I'd lost count of how many time trials I'd fluff during Pure simply because my PSP analogue nub chose that particular moment to become unresponsive. This way in Pulse, it is less of a worry/bother and I can feel as if my attempts to 'find the line of best fit' on a track are more honest.

4. The track names/introductions. The place names sound much cooler than the tracks in Pure, and the introductions add an extra layer of verisimilitude to the WO 'universe' that was lacking in Pure, even if they grate after a while/can't be deactivated.

5. The licensed tracks. I was chuffed to hear Aphex Twin's 'Fenix Funk', I've liked that track for a long time and it would have been a track I included on the MP3 import list had it not already been there! Another instant favorite is Kraftwerk's 'Aero Dynamik' track. The music feels much more in touch with the general feel of the increased level of technologically dark/neon track environments.

6. The graphics. It's a much smoother ride this time, it really is the best looking game on PSP. None of the graininess and jaggies that occasionally blighted Pure. I was especially impressed with the electricity that sprouts between ships during an energy drain.

7. The single player Grid system. I was a little apprehensive of it at first, initially preferring the old style tournament route for unlocking new tracks. However, I quickly began to understand the reasoning behind the decision to do it this way, as whilst appearing over-structured, it actually opens up a much higher degree of freedom in tackling/unlocking the game in your own way.

8. The nice touches. Things like the 'ear ringing' noise if a bomb goes off next to you, all the traffic in the air in the distance when on a city/urban based track, the incremental pixel-sized movements the audiences in the stalls make gives them a more realistic appearance, that and their flash photography. The green protector-shield around the track adds to the feeling that the places are real and have their safety regulations like any other sport. The rain on the PSP screen when you go around Fort Gale.

They're the most I can think of for now, I may add more later if I notice any more!

[Rapier Racer]

The 'force-field' spectator protection wall is a great parallel for the present-day spectator protection fences and Armco barriers in auto-racing. And it can be used to eliminate spawning

I'm afraid Pulse doesn't work like that, it is still full of all sorts of random miles back up the track re-spawning crap, if you impact some walls hard enough for example, instead of dead stopping it's back you go! Away off the last re-spawn point!

[Dogg Thang]

There are a few holes in the shield that are bizarrely random. There's one in the turn in Vertica that seems like if you just touch the wall you'll get teleported back.

[zargz]

..if you impact some walls hard enough for example, instead of dead stopping it's back you go! Away off the last re-spawn point!

..There's one in the turn in Vertica that seems like if you just touch the wall you'll get teleported back.

so follow this advice, boys!

http://www.matton.se/bilder/jpg/if_i....html/sok-akta

[Dogg Thang]

I try! Honest! The wall just draws me in. It's calling me... must... hit...wall...

[Mad-Ice]

I am still trying to complete the game and I don't have enough time spent in the game to give my full opinion on the game. However there are a few things that I really like in Pulse:

1. The way the airbrakes and sideshifts work compared to Pure's. Now I really feel a difference between them. In Pure you just have to hit sideshift a lot and airbrakes were only handy is some occasions. Now you really need airbrakes to make a nice floathy turn in Pulse and only sometimes sideshift to correct the racingline. This is how it supposed to work for me.

2. The ships are really well balanced and it will take us very long to find out which ship is best for which track and for which speedleague.

3. Infrastructure is just awesome.

4. I will come back to this one and hopefully more.

[Lance]

I'm afraid Pulse doesn't work like that, it is still full of all sorts of random miles back up the track re-spawning crap, if you impact some walls hard enough for example, instead of dead stopping it's back you go! Away off the last re-spawn point!

Well... ****.

[Hacker X]

I'm really enjoying the game so far, and thanks for making this thread btw.

My top favorite things so far are:

1. CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS! This is definately my favorite WO addition so far to Pulse.

2. I really love the menu layout and menu music. It fits the WO theme perfectly. Futuristic, but not over the top.

3. Smoother framerates.

4. Accurate ship speed AI now. WO has always had a specific "rubberband-like" AI that lets you be in a certain place each lap. By the lap, you could have 1st place and hold it due to the AI being programmed that way. Now, the AI fights for 1st all the way til the end, making the races feel like your racing other players rather than the computer.

5. Racebox is a very good addition for customizing your own WO races.

6. The Campaign progression is very cool. Before I would selectively go through Race, Time Trial, etc, now I'm forcing myself to do all the different combinations of races in a grid before I move on. That helps me to play each type of race and get experience at each.

7. Wipeout-game.com, and the ability to sync your profile for race stats. This is making for the ultimate Wipeout experience among the extremely competetive fans.

8. Infrastructure mode is freaking awesome. Now we have a legit online Wipeout for the first time. Amazing, and plays well. I just hope that they can deal with cheating eventually.

9. Custome Skins. That is a very cool feature, and adds a lot to Wipeout.

10. Downloadable content. Pure's was amazing, and I'm sure Pulse's will be too.

11. BEST WIPEOUT EVAR!

[Chrono]

2. The ships are really well balanced and it will take us very long to find out which ship is best for which track and for which speedleague.

I find this incredibly true. My goto ship has changed several times and I'm refining what to race on what class.

[zargz]

...
5. autopilot don't pick up other weapon while engaged - great!
after all it is a weapon engaged. you don't pick up weapons while using the cannon, leech or mines right?
..

have to add to the AP that you can not BS .. sorry .. BR while it's on!

Luv it!

[Sausehuhn]

In addition to that: you can deactivate it again (you couldn't in Pure).

[Medusa]

1. I love the darker vibe of Pulse. It still feels a bit cartoonish like Pure, but the cities seem a lot more realistic.

2. The infrastructure mode!! Even with its funny little bugs. Finally I don't have to turn on the PC to play online.

3. Platinum Rush White!!! Oh my goodness I love this track. It feels like a real honest-to-goodness WO1 track (until you start barrel rolling, )! AWESOME!! Nice high track walls and wicked corners with altitude changes chucked in!! I might hate it once I graduate to rapier but man, it's an incredible track!!

4. Custom soundtracks. Maybe the game is verrrry different from my favourites but at least I can go back in time by racing to the WO1, XL, and W3O soundtracks!

5. Photo mode. Feeding the Narcissus in all of us.

6. The even ships. Nothing makes a better game than fairplay, and this sure helps a lot!!

I'm sure I could get ten if I took enough time but they've already been mentioned. Great job SL! Only a few things left before perfection

[phl0w]

I might hate it once I graduate to rapier but man

and even more so once you race it on Phantom...

Nice high track walls

That's actually a point that annoys me since Pure. What's happened to the narrow tracks with high walls from wo1-3, I wonder? Everything seemed much tighter and narrower. I guess the illusion was created from a TV's 4:3 ratio, while the PSP's 16:9 display is responsible for the tracks' appearing wider and the walls lower altogether. Also, that's why Pure's and Pulse's Phantom speed appears to be so slow compared to 2097 and 3.

[Sausehuhn]

I guess it has something to do with the camera's perspective.
When you go in photomode the whole track looks completely different. Much wider and the ship looks a lot smaller. Then, when you acutally play the the game the ships look comparatively huge and the track smaller. It's confusing.